


Sunset (The Golden Moment)

by EverllarkingJoshifer



Category: The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Olympics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 16:37:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8063881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverllarkingJoshifer/pseuds/EverllarkingJoshifer
Summary: What happens when an archer meets a wrestler? What do they go on to become when the mutual respects and attractions grow? Find out in this Hunger Games Olympics version takes you down the slippery slope of love.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hello my lovelies. I am back! This time with a somewhat short story about everllark and the Olympics. I would like to thank my incredible beta norbetsmom and my wonderful husband who's been so patient despite me writing on my birthday and not going to bed til 8 am. I would also love to thank akai-echo for allowing me to use her beautiful banner for my story. (isn't it beautiful ya'll?) This took a lot of researching and I hope you guys like it. Please read and review. I would love to hear some feedback.
> 
>  
> 
> [](http://s229.photobucket.com/user/TigerRW86/media/olympics.png.html)  
> 

Her eyebrows creased with concentration as she pulled her arm back and let the arrow fly. The poor gobbler collapsed with a pitiful cry. The rest of the flock quickly and noisily dispersed while Gale walked forward to retrieve the game. Katniss lowered her bow and looked around to make sure that they weren't being watched. If any peacekeeper found out what they were up to they were certainly in for a world of trouble. She didn't want to imagine what the repercussions would be for both families. Surely they would starve to death if the beatings or the weather wouldn't do them in first. She visibly shuddered.

"Hey, are you ok?" asked Gale as he drew closer with the large turkey hanging from his hand. It had been carefully trussed leaving the head to wobble every which way.

Katniss reached over to help gather up the equipment. With the turkey added to what they already caught, they had a big enough haul to last several days. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just spaced out," she replied as a bloody knife and and leftover rope were handed to her unceremoniously. She walked over to the river's edge to wash the knife, and dried it carefully on her sleeve, leaving the blade gleaming against the rising sun. It was the beginning of spring and she could hear the birds twittering about as they settled in their nests readying for their young to be born. The remnants of winter tried to cling to nature unsuccessfully. The once frozen ground was quickly defrosting as the sun's rays peeked through the trees.

"Come on we gotta go. We don't want to be late for Sae. She'll be wanting the turkey," she muttered.

Gale nodded and followed her up the slope. As they walked they quickly came to an agreement that they would split the squirrels and rabbits evenly between them. Gale decided to take the turkey to Sae and would later split the profits with Katniss when they saw each other again that evening. They crouched down under the fence after assessing that the power was not on. Katniss dusted her jacket down and looked up at Gale as he stood beside her mimicking her actions. They said a swift goodbye and each went their own way to sell the goods.

The merchants had just begun to rise and open their stores when Katniss walked through. The smell of fresh bread wafted through the air and she could hear her stomach growl. She stared down at it frowning. Perhaps Mr. Mellark would be in today to buy at least a couple of her squirrels or perhaps she could secure a trade and maybe be able to bring in a slice of chocolate cake for her sister Prim. She huffed and creeped ever so carefully to the side of the building and looked through the window hoping to see him instead of his wife. Unfortunately Mr. Mellark was nowhere to be seen. His wife however, could be seen barking orders to her youngest blond haired son. Katniss had no idea how such an odious woman could have birthed multiple children with such a gentle man as Mr. Mellark. She could only guess. She still remembered the day that Mr. Mellark offered Prim a cookie while their mother sobbed inconsolably during their father's funeral. She had been holding a cold useless medal in her hand as a poor consolation from the government.

The poor boy was currently kneading dough as his mother growled about. She looked rather vexed while the stocky, blond young man concentrated on the task in front of him, attempting to ignore his mother's ranting. He raised his head just a tiny bit and looked out the window noticing Katniss. Her eyes widened with surprise at having been caught. His azure eyes locked with her grays and held for just a second before his mother smacked him on the side of the head, glancing over to the object of his current attention. Katniss swiftly ducked and dared to inch up but a fraction. Mrs. Mellark's rancorous face found hers. She gave an audible snarl and grabbed a rolling pin as she walked to the front door with her son following closely behind. She shouted a few obscenities as she drew closer. He wiped his hands on the towel hanging on his waist with a distressed look in his eyes. Katniss grabbed her game and ran, but was unlucky to find that it was too late. Mrs. Mellark had called out to her. Katniss wanted to keep running but the sheer force of politeness that was embedded into her by her mother and a chance of being able to sell her game stopped her in her tracks. She closed her eyes hoping that Mrs. Mellark's vile remarks would be kept to herself. Although she highly doubted it would be so.

"Turn around girl," Mrs Mellark ordered coldly and so Katniss did, exhaling slowly.

"You! I know you! You're that Everdeen girl. What are you doing here?" Mrs. Mellark asked waving her rolling pin around menacingly.

Katniss gulped but stood her ground. "I was wondering if Mr. Mellark had been in today," she said pitifully.

"Whatever would you want my husband for?" Mrs. Mellark asked.

Was the woman daft or had she simply wanted another opportunity to humiliate Katniss once again? They both knew that she was only ever there to sell the squirrels that Mr. Mellark always seemed to enjoy so much.

Mrs. Mellark had once before suggested that Katniss had been around to flirt with her husband or one of her sons. She had admonished that only poor lowly Seam girls would be capable of such character. Katniss would be damned if she allowed the incident to repeat itself. The amount of disrespect and embarrassment that she had to deal with was terrifying for a fifteen year old like herself. Mrs. Mellark had made it a point to be as loud as possible, if only to achieve the amount of gossip that had surely followed Katniss for weeks. Thankfully, Katniss had shown no signs of being a 'loose girl' at any point, so the whispering dwindled down until it finally stopped entirely. However, this time things would be different.

Katniss looked down at her game and picked it up showing it to Mrs. Mellark. "I'm here to sell him some of my squirrels," she declared loudly.

Mrs. Mellark's and her son's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you on about girl?" she asked.

"Oh nothing Mrs. Mellark. I'm just here to sell Mr. Mellark some of the squirrels that I caught this morning. You see these poor critters had wandered into my backyard and I didn't want to lose an opportunity to make money as you would understand, being a merchant and all. Perhaps you would be able to tell me about Mr. Mellark's whereabouts. I know how much he enjoys them. You Know he might want to buy them from me. Since I am in fact selling it to him." She explained boisterously emphasizing on the words 'sell' and 'buy'.

The stocky blond boy with the cerulean eyes looked like he was on the verge of doubling over with laughter, but perhaps he knew it wouldn't be a good idea to rouse his mother's ire even more, so instead, he clamped his mouth shut and gulped repeatedly. Mrs. Mellark, however, turned red and shook with anger. "Well he's not here," she drawled coolly despite the sparks that blazed through her eyes.

Two years had passed since that awful assumption had been made by the odious woman standing before her. Her suppositions towards Katniss hadn't changed at all. Mrs. Mellark hated her and that was something Katniss couldn't understand.

Mrs. Mellark was angry at having been bested by a mere seventeen year old girl. A scrawny one at that. She turned and collided with her son's chest.

"What the hell are you standing there like a fool for? Get back inside and finish those loaves of bread and don't you dare burn them," she barked, turning her anger onto a more passive victim. She pushed him aside and walked back inside exasperatedly.

Katniss shrugged and turned to walk away. She had walked but a few paces before she felt a hand touching her shoulder. She looked back surprised and saw the young boy look at her shyly and almost surprised at himself. "Uhhh. I'll take them for my dad. I have the money with me. I always have some money for myself as a precaution. Now seemed like a good enough time as any." He handed her the notes and coins as Katniss skeptically handed him the squirrels.

"What are you going to do with them? Won't your mother be angry with you?" Katniss asked.

He shrugged. "I'll think of something."

Katniss looked at him and grinned. "Thank you...uh… I'm sorry I don't know your name." She said embarrassingly.

"Peeta…. Mellark," he said, blushing.

"Peeta," Katniss said, savoring his name on her lips, trying to remember it in case she met him again. "I'll let you go or else your mother is going to be even angrier. Who knows she might just turn into the devil," Katniss said jokingly.

"What makes you think she isn't already," Peeta replied. Although his lips were curled into a grin, his eyes spoke of a different story. The sadness could not be hidden and Katniss didn't know what she could do to soothe the hurt that was clearly expressed in his gaze.

Peeta ran back towards the bakery leaving Katniss speechless. She looked back at the notes and coins still in her hand and shoved them quickly into her pocket before walking back home. A couple rabbits were left in her game bag for tonight's lunch and dinner.

Days passed and the entirety of District 12 was buzzing around the square while waiting for Mayor Undersee to take the stage. Everyone was either nervous or excited as to what would be transpiring that afternoon. They were all told the night before to be present for what President Snow had described as a most momentous occasion. Now all the people could do was sit and wait to see what this occasion would bring about. They could only wonder and guess. Mayor Undersee took the stage and everyone fell silent.

"Welcome all. I would like to thank you all for being here," he boomed through the microphone.

'Not that we had any other choice,' Katniss thought.

"This gathering is to inform you all that a rather old tradition is to be revived once again. Those would be the Mid Summer Olympics."

Katniss had read about the Olympics in her school books before, but she barely knew enough about it to be sure as to what it was. She knew it was some form of physical competitions among countries to see which country would come out on top.

"For those who don't know what the Olympics are. It's a series of physical competitions between different districts as a way to have our neighboring countries come together and find a form of brotherhood. After all, we may all be different but we are all brothers and sisters. United for one common purpose and that is to work together for the betterment of our people." Mayor Undersee expressed. Katniss didn't believe the words for a moment. The rest of the countries surrounding Panem have all but ignored them ever since the revolt that had turned a once somewhat thriving society into a crumbling mess. It had taken Panem a while to surge forward and now that they were one of the top countries to excel in mass production the surrounding lands wanted a piece of the pie. These competitions were more about a chance of gain than brotherhood. 

Katniss looked around. It didn't seem like anyone wanted to be brothers or sisters with each other. She saw the Merchants look a the people of the Hob and the Seam. Some simply scrunched their faces up or sneered with disdain at the mention of sisters and brothers united. District twelve was not known for their camaraderie. They were known for looking after themselves and their immediate own. Hunger was a great incentive for isolation and selfishness.

Mayor Undersee said a few more words about being united and to have someone better to explain the process of selection he introduced a woman by the name of Effie Trinket.

The tall Ivory skinned woman walked precariously slow towards the microphone on her tiny spiked stilettos. Her shocking purple hair clashed horribly with her gaudy moss green outfit. The shoulders puffed out, making them look wider and her lower body thin and frail. She cleared her throat loudly attempting to capture all of District Twelve's attention. It was obvious that she had come from the Capitol. The people merely looked at her suspiciously. The district women's simple dresses looked like rags next to Effie Trinket's outfit. Several of the women adjusted their hair or straightened their frock as they giggled among themselves finding Effie's clothing to be ludicrous.

When the square had quieted, Effie opened her purple colored lips and went on to explain that all women and men were to complete a form specifying their greatest physical attributes. After all the forms had been filtered through, there would be tryouts, and from those tryouts, Effie among others, would choose the lucky few who would go on to represent Panem in the greatest competition of brotherly sports this world had ever thought to revive.

Days passed and all Katniss could hear was people speculating about the dratted Olympics. She was sure to go crazy if someone mentioned it just one more time. Katniss was chosen to try out for Archery after Gale had personally filled out her form behind her back. She was furious at him for days for daring to put her and her family in danger, but he had simply shrugged her off. She cornered him in the woods and demanded he explain himself.

He sighed, "Katniss, at this point it's not a big deal."

Katniss redenned with anger, "And why not?"

"Look, at the moment all of Panem is aware of District Twelve, including the Capitolites and other districts. They see the tryouts broadcasted every day, which mean we're under a microscope. The ones who know about our hunting are either friends, family, or our buyers. Now, our friends or family members aren't going to say anything for obvious reasons," Gale said.

Katniss furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, what about our buyers?"

"They wouldn't say anything either because then they would have to explain themselves. How they knew and why they didn't say anything before," Gale explained.

"Well they could easily say they saw us sneaking out through the fence," Katniss said.

"Well, that's the thing. None of the Merchants ever come to the Seam. They would have to be doing something illegal for them to be here. We don't usually mix often. Those who have lovers in this part of town tend to be quite secretive about it. They would be looked upon as traitors to their Merchant bloodline." He rolled his eyes. "Anyways, no one would say anything because they have more to lose than us. They would lose their stores and what little wealth they have. Executions are out of the question at this time considering the push for brotherly and sisterly love. Wouldn't bode well for the tale they're trying to cram down our throats. Don't worry, enjoy it for now at least. It'll be fine." Gale remarked as he finished setting up the snare for rabbits.

"Well the mayor and everyone would be fully aware of what we were up to," Katniss countered swiftly.

Gale rolled his eyes once again. "Yes, they know but they can't prove it, can they? There's no cameras around." He motioned to the sky. " Besides if you win a medal you'll be provided with more food,a larger house and money. " He remarked while he sat on a log to rest.

Katniss guessed he had a point, but how on earth would the district explain Katniss' fortunate skills. She guessed she would leave it up to them. Who knows, perhaps she would win.. For the time being she had to prepare for what the outcome might be. "So what did you say was your physical attribute?"

"I told them I could run," Gale responded.

"Gale you can, but you're not the fastest," Katniss countered.

"Well yeah, but I can do long distance running, and even if I don't get picked I'm not too worried about it. I really don't want to compete anyway," he declared.

"How come you didn't say you did archery too? We hunt together," Katniss asked.

Gale dusted his hands. "I'm not as good as you. You use a longbow. I use a crossbow and those aren't permitted in the competition. I'm better with traps." He gestured around to the various snares that were concealed expertly around.

A few more days passed and Katniss was selected to represent District 12 as an archer along with two other girls who would become her teammates. Madge Undersee, the thin blond, blue eyed daughter of Mayor Undersee. She had been practicing since she was five at the behest of her mother pushing her to do something physical and worth her rank. Delly Cartwright, a short girl with blond curls and green eyes. She had a soft curved figure due to her father being the cobbler, therefore giving her a have a somewhat comfortable life and a chance to practice things that would otherwise be denied to her. She'd started archery in order to lose some weight and she didn't want to have to strain her body too much. It made Katniss laugh that Delly would be so honest and open about her apparent laziness, but she guessed she would probably make the same decisions if she were in the same position. They were due to start training in a day or two and the girls simply passed the time by getting themselves acquainted with each other.

Training day came and all three girls showed up in skirts and their most comfortable shoes. They were on their way to the school gym when a loud voice hollered over to them. All three turned to look and saw a disheveled man sauntering over. He had the typical Seam look of straight black hair and grey eyes. Delly and Madge recoiled at the sight of him, but Katniss stood her ground regarding the man with a sense of curiosity.

"What the hell are you three wearing?" he demanded.

All three girls looked at each other questioningly and down towards their simple yet comfortable skirts. The hems were well below the knee. They looked up at the man standing before them wearing a frown on his face and shrugged.

The man rolled his eyes. "Haven't they told you that no skirts are allowed?" he barked.

"Well how would you know? Besides it's hot out today and there's no form of cooling down in that gym," Katniss said as she pointed to the direction of the school entrance. " Who are you, anyway?" Katniss challenged.

Madge walked forward and stopped between Katniss and Haymitch. She held her hands up in order to quiet both parties down. "Sir I think you're mistaken. It's obvious you hadn't read the rule book in it's entirety. There are skirts allowed in the competition. If you hadn't noticed all three of us are wearing perfectly adequate clothes." she reiterated diplomatically as she gestured to herself and the two girls behind her.

Delly was turning an ugly share of red. Her fists shook with anger as Madge continued on. "Now it's hot as blazes out here and there's no cooling system in that gym. So can we please stop arguing and go into the gym to practice and get this over with?" she looked at the man directly in the eyes daring him to contradict her.

Haymitch regarded all three girls with a calculating gaze and zeroed in on Madge. "What's your name?" he asked

"Madge Undersee, sir. My father is the mayor." she replied cooly.

Haymitch scratched his five o'clock shadow. "You've read the rulebook?" he asked.

"Cover to cover." Madge replied.

The man regarded all three girls as if sizing them up. "I see. You girls are smart and you speak up when it's necessary." he remarked thoughtfully. "Perfect, I need people with passion. I'm Haymitch, your coach," the man announced as he drew closer and the girls looked at each other warily. Katniss backed away from the smell of liquor that surrounded him. He looked down at his hand and switched the bottle he had been holding to his other hand in order to properly introduce himself.

As they entered the gym Katniss looked around and saw Peeta sitting off to the side and taking a drink of water. He was wearing a singlet and a few other things that she couldn't quite place. Peeta looked over at her and almost choked on his water. He stood up and whispered in his friend's ear. His friend merely nodded and Peeta walked over. He waved and Katniss waved back. Peeta walked over with a smile, suddenly remembered he still had his head gear on and turned crimson red as he hastily took it off and ran his other hand through his hair in an effort to fix it. However, his curls were all over the place. He took out a kerchief from inside his singlet and hastily wiped off his sweat as he got closer.

"Hey Delly," he said while Delly jumped up and down in excitement for her dear friend. "Katniss I didn't know you would be here," he said.

"You guys know each other?" Delly asked with an impish gleam in her eyes.

Katniss looked at Peeta and smiled warmly. "Uh yes, we met about a week ago but I never told him my name," she said while looking at Peeta curiously.

"My father told me. I'm sorry, it's just that I forgot to ask you last time," Peeta explained.

"It's alright. It was kind of a hectic day for both of us. It's nice to see you," Katniss replied.

Peeta looked at Madge and properly introduced himself. "It's a pleasure to see you all three here."

"Yeah, we're the archery team," Delly said excitedly. She was easily the most cheerful of the bunch.

Haymitch rolled his eyes. "If you guys are done socializing I'd like to get a move on since it's time for us to set up the archery course."

Peeta cleared his throat and hastily muttered his goodbyes and walked away muttering about how it was time for him to go anyway.

"Could you be any more rude?" Katniss asked as she looked pointedly at Haymitch.

Haymitch showed no signs of remorse. "Listen sweetheart, we don't have much time to waste. We have until only a few months before the infernal Olympics begin and you guys making googly eyes at the wrestling team is wasting my time. I don't get paid to be a matchmaker. So either we starts training as soon as possible or we lose the stupid thing altogether and end up on the receiving end of jeers and insults from the Capitolites. So can we please get on to setting up the archery station? We have a lot of ground to cover," he said as he stalked off, ending the conversation.

Katniss stared daggers into Haymitch's back while Delly and Madge giggled. "I don't make googly eyes. I'm the last one to do any such thing. He's insane." Katniss hissed as she hauled the targets out to the opposite end of the gym as Madge's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.

Haymitch had shown them all the new equipment that was available to them to use. All the girls could do was stare in awe at the bounty before them. They could not believe their eyes. There were even things displayed for them that they didn't recognize or had ever seen before.

"The first thing we have to do is establish the kinds of bows that each of your are suitable for. I want you each to try a hand at all of them displayed before you. That is unless you are absolutely sure which is the one for you. I have a few things out here as you can see, but if you feel comfortable using your own equipment either show them to me now or bring them by tomorrow if you didn't bring them today." Haymitch declared loudly as he paced back and forth looking at each girl.

Katniss knew she wanted to use the bow that her father had made for her before he died in the the mining explosion, but she hadn't known if she would've been allowed to. She raised her hand awkwardly and asked to speak with Haymitch privately, choosing to let him know about her conundrum.

"Bring it by tomorrow. For now try all the equipment provided for you here just to make sure," he said curtly.

Katniss went on to grab the recurve bow for the second time that afternoon when Haymitch interrupted her. "What the hell are you doing? Didn't I explicitly ask you to try all the bows?" he asked.

"I know for sure which bow suits me and you also said that if we were sure then we could keep using the one we're most comfortable with," Katniss remarked.

Haymitch huffed in annoyance and walked away to look at Delly's form while Katniss smirked with satisfaction.

He had tried to get the girls to use the stabilizer. A hellish object that looked like a lowercase t. It was supposed to help the arrow fly straight, but the only thing it did was annoy Katniss with how cumbersome it was. Madge was quite happy to use it though. Delly looked a bit unsure, but Katniss was certain she would come around to it sooner or later. Katniss huffed in frustration as her arrow flew a little to the left, landing on the outer black ring on the target. Haymitch looked at her and yelled for the fifth time that day. He seemed to be on verge of bursting a vessel in his forehead at any moment. By the time practice had ended Haymitch looked hopeless and the girls looked at each other a little frightened at the upcoming prospect of possibly losing or being stuck with a terrible teacher who did nothing but yell.

Katniss walked into her house looking exhausted and forlorn. She was on her way to her room to drop onto her bed when her sister Prim bounded towards her asking about practice.

"Katniss, Come on, please just tell me how it went? Was it all you wished it could be? Were Delly and Madge there? Who was your coach?" she asked eagerly as Katniss made a beeline for her bed.

Katniss waved her arm around and shook her head. "Later Prim. I'm tired and right now I would really appreciate some rest," she begged.

Prim sagged her shoulders and walked away. Some time later Prim walked over to Katniss' sleeping form and prodded her awake gently. "Katniss? Katniss come on, wake up."

Katniss opened her bleary eyes and saw the sun beginning to set. "Hey little duck. Was I out for too long?" Prim shook her head. "Have you eaten anything." Again Prim shook her head. "Why not?" Katniss asked as she sat up.

"Mom forgot to get some groceries, but she's getting them right now," She earnestly replied.

Katniss huffed. Of course her mother had forgotten. It had been only few years since her father died, leaving her mother distraught. Mrs. Everdeen floated around in a daze barely functioning until recently. It was up to Katniss to help with everything she could and so she ventured out into the woods after the sheer desperation and tears of hunger that came from a younger Prim. She hated to see her sister look so miserable. It had taken Katniss a while for her to relearn everything her father had taught her relying mostly on memories. She'd met Gale after he'd caught her looking at a rabbit that his snares caught. It had taken some time before they came to a mutual agreement and respect. Mostly due to the fact that both parties were suspicious of each others intents. When Katniss' skills improved her mother started to show progress toward recovery.

She lifted herself off the bed. "Come on, maybe we can make something quick to hold us over until mom comes home."

Prim smiled, making her blue eyes gleam. "Then you'll tell me how practice was?" she asked looking up at Katniss hopefully.

Katniss nodded and Prim turned to skip towards the kitchen. Her wheat color braids bouncing against her shoulders.

The next day Katniss packed everything for what she guessed would probably be the most tense filled practice of all. She walked in with her bag and her bow and quiver of arrows slung on her other shoulder. She made sure to wear her cargo pants and a short sleeve shirt. Her hair was in her usual side braid. Her old worn leather bag slapped against her thigh every so often when she walked. She was a little earlier than was expected so she remained at the entrance quietly observing the boys wrestling team. She noticed Peeta standing up to to take position. Putting in his mouth guard he crouched slightly while facing his opponent. He looked so focused, his eyebrows creased with intensity, looking like a bird of prey readying for the attack.

His opponent was a taller sandy haired boy who looked to be around the same age as her. She heard a whistle and both boys pushed at each other attempting to get the better of the other. Peeta clamped his arms around the other boy's torso, picked him up into the air and leaned back. The other boy flailed about trying to disengage from the arm lock. The whistle blew again and Peeta put his opponent down carefully giving him a bashful smile. The other boy simply shrugged his shoulders in defeat and shook hands with Peeta.

Their coach approached them and began giving them pointers. Both listened with rapt attention as their coach send them back to the mat to try a new tactic. Again the whistle blew and Peeta, although shorter, held his own rather well. Sweat ran down the side of his forehead when he had his teammate in a headlock that looked impossible to get out of. His muscles bulged with a strength that caught Katniss by surprise. She was so caught up in the moment that she hadn't realized her own teammates had arrived both holding bags of what they thought to show Haymitch.

"What's going on?" Madge asked.

"The boys are practicing," Katniss replied almost dazedly. Her mouth formed a little o when she saw Peeta slam the other boy on the mat rather viciously. The grunt he expelled was almost animalistic.

Delly smirked. "You might want to close your mouth or someone might think you're checking them out."

Katniss snapped her mouth shut and turned to look at Delly while she blushed. "I'm not. I'm just impressed."

"Uh huh. Tell it to someone who'll believe you," Delly replied. "Don't even worry about it though. I have to admit I like my boys tall and virile," she said looking at the other boys observing the match as if giving them a visual example.

Both Katniss and Madge widened their eyes in surprise. Delly rolled her eyes. "God, you guys. I'm not blind you know. I know we live in an almost stifling conservative district but it doesn't mean it hurts to look. I mean come on, there's basically a buffet of eye candy before us. We may as well appreciate it if we can't sample it," she gestured.

Katniss highly respected Delly's sense of freedom and livelihood. She only wish she would have the guts to speak so openly, but spying at a guy was enough to send her into a blushing frenzy. She really hated being so guarded, but she didn't know how else to be.

Prim was braver and more outspoken. She constantly told Katniss about the boys that were currently holding her attention. Perhaps it was because she had yet to truly attach to any of them for long. Such infatuations only lasted for about a week or less until the boy did something stupid that Prim would deem unacceptable. Especially if it had anything to do with the harming of any animals. Prim was rather attached to any and all that crossed her path. Something that Katniss found both endearing and vexing. She could never kill an animal in front of Prim or she would risk her sister's ire or anguish. If it wasn't for Prim's love of all things furry and feathery they would never have had to keep the demon cat known as Buttercup. That decidedly odious feline had been the bane in Katniss' existence.

Prim found him wondering about the seam. He was underweight, his fur was falling out in patches and he had some kind weird greenish tint mucous surrounding one eye. Prim had begged to keep him and she carefully and miraculously nursed it back to health. The cat instantly became Prim's shadow, but he had no love for Katniss and vice versa. He was yet another thing that she had to feed and it annoyed Katniss to no end. He only hissed whenever she was in his vicinity. Prim blamed the fact that she had tried to drown her 'poor baby' and so his hatred was well deserved. It wasn't until she allowed the shoe brush of a cat to have some scraps from her game that they came to a grudging understanding. The understanding of forever ignoring one another. It suited her just fine. He would allow her to pet him once a day when she fed him scraps and that was that.

"Katniss? Hello? Earth to Katniss Everdeen." Delly waved her hand in front of her face. Katniss shook her head and blushed furiously. She had spaced out again. Delly raised her eyebrows in question and Katniss shook her head.

"What happened there? You seemed to be in another world altogether. Everything ok?" Madge asked.

"Yeah no I'm fine. Sorry guys, I was just thinking," Katniss replied as the whistle blew yet again for the last time signaling the end of practice for the wrestling team.

Delly looked at her. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Guys, really it's no big deal. It was just something stupid about my sister's dumb cat," Katniss replied as the boys began to pack up for the day.

Madge looked down at her watch. "Haymitch is late. Oh well, guess we'll be able to have a nice chat. Anyway, as I was telling you guys, there's a guy in that group that I happen to like very much."

Both Katniss and Delly looked at her asking who. Madge looked into the crowd and pointed out a tall dark boy. "Michael Corner."

Delly's eyes simply shone with delight. "Corner? Really? Why? I mean, no disrespect I'm just curious."

Madge looked longingly at Michael Corner. "He's tall, dark, handsome, and very virile." She said looking directly at Delly. "Besides he has sweet, kind eyes and he's funny. We have the same history class and he's always been very polite to everyone."

Delly smirked. "That's cute" She cupped her hands around her lips and suddenly shouted. "Hey Michael! my friend Madge like you."

Madge looked at Delly in what can only be described in humiliating horror and covered her face as she blushed crimson. Michael set his water bottle down on the bench and walked over to them amidst his friends whooping and cheering him on. He grabbed Madge's hands in his own while Madge refused to look at him. Her blush reaching beyond the roots of her golden hair. "Is that true?" Michael asked gently.

Madge nodded. Michael visibly exhaled. "Well thank god, I've been wracking my brain for a way to ask you out on a date."

Madge looked up at him incredulously. "What?" she whispered.

"Yeah I've been meaning to ask you to the winter formal, but I just didn't know how," he said as he smiled down at her gently. Katniss had a bright smile on her face for her friend's good fortune. Delly squealed as she jumped up and down with delight.

Madge still looked like she couldn't believe her eyes. Michael looked at her and properly asked her to the winter formal as Madge readily and anxiously agreed with a quick nod of her head. All present cheered loudly for the new couple. Michael excused himself and walked over to collect his things while Madge waited with bated breath. Michael ran back to her and laced their hands together and walked out of the school with her to talk more privately for a short time.

Katniss laughed and turned to Delly. "So who do you like Delly?"

"No one yet, but I'm sure I will soon. I like to look at them still but I'd like to know them better before making any decision," she said nonchalantly.

Katniss raised her eyebrows. "Well, what about Peeta?" she asked and she didn't know why, but a tinge of jealousy and longing tightened her heart ever so slightly that it made Katniss doubt its tug.

Delly looked at her with distaste. "Peeta? Oh no. I mean I did have a slight crush on him when I was four, but that's over now. Peeta is not my type. I need someone bold and he's much too shy for my liking."

"But he is very handsome and he is taller than you. He's on the wrestling team too. Didn't you say you liked them virile?" Katniss asked as the little tug in her heart lessened and gave way to a hope that she couldn't understand.

Delly looked at her with a bored expression. "Yeah I like them tall and handsome and virile, but Peeta's just too much like a brother. I don't think I could ever see him that way. I've known him for far too long." Delly replied while crossing her arms and regarding Katniss suspiciously. "How about you? Do you like Peeta?"

Katniss blushed and laughed. "Me? Like Peeta? No, not at all. I don't even know him long enough to like him."

Delly looked at her suspiciously but accepted the answer easily enough.

Peeta stopped by as the rest of the boys filed out of the gym. He looked at both girls and smiled greeting them sweetly. Katniss noticed how the light glinted softly against his curls giving him a halo effect. His eyes weren't just blue, they had specks of green in them. His long lashes framed his eyes delicately and his mouth seemed to be set in a permanent smile giving him a boyish charm that Katniss found adorable. Adorable was a new word that had hardly ever been in Katniss' vocabulary. Usually such words were reserved for some furry animals or her sister Prim. She found it odd to admire so many of Peeta's attributes after only meeting him in three different occasions. It took her far longer to even realize that Gale was a member of the opposite sex. It both puzzled and frightened her to no end. She supposed it might've been the warm weather making her come up with such absurd observations. The trio spoke animatedly about Michael and Madge as they leaned against the wall.

Peeta looked around and notice no sign of a coach and inquired after him. Katniss rolled her eyes and told him that Haymitch was running late.

He raised his eyebrows. "Well in that case then he's not only late but I don't think he might be coming at all. It's been half an hour since he was supposed to be here. My training actually ended late." Delly nodded in agreement.

Katniss frowned and looked at Delly as she declared 'it was a free day and good riddance too, because it was torture the day before.' Katniss couldn't simply allow this to happen. At this rate they would never be able to win. They had much too little time to train. "Do you know where I might find him?" She asked Peeta.

"Uh well, I don't know him but I've heard he lives in Victor's Village in a big gray house with a brown fence," he answered.

"It was nice to see you Peeta, but I have to go do something." Katniss said hastily as she picked up her bag and briskly walked towards the school's exit. Peeta uttered a quick goodbye after her and was left to talk to Delly.

Katniss was furious. This whole blasted event was placed upon them in the hopes of winning and with no coach around, she and her friends wouldn't be prepared and could very well be the laughingstock of all Panem. She walked up to Haymitch's house and banged against the door. After no response, she tried again and the door opened ever so slightly. "Haymitch?" she called out as she stepped cautiously inside. Her foot collided with an empty bottle of vodka. A small light illuminated further down the entrance. She looked around the dark corridor and noticed the dilapidated conditions of the house. The smell of rotting food and stale liquor engulfed her. The smell got stronger the closer Katniss got to the living room. Katniss had to cover her nose in order to block the offending odor that was making her gag. She looked around the room and noticed Haymitch spread across an armchair. His limbs bent at odd angles. From his hand hung a bottle of whiskey.

Katniss dropped her belongings on the floor carefully and walked over to him, hoping to god that he hadn't poisoned himself to death. She reached out to feel for a pulse when he snorted in discomfort and switched to a different position. Katniss backed away swiftly and wrinkled her nose in disgust. She walked over to prod him awake roughly but he only continued to snore and swatted her hand away. Katniss looked around for anything to use to get his attention and found a cup partially full with what she thought was water, but then again she could be wrong. She grabbed the handle, frowning deeper, annoyed with the fact that this was the reason for the missed practice. She threw the contents of the cup at his face and swiftly backed away as he rose with a growl while flailing his arms about.

"What the hell?" Haymitch roared when he zeroed in on the person that dared to wake him up so rudely. "Are you trying to give me pneumonia girl?" he demanded.

Katniss crossed her arms. "You weren't at practice today. What happened? We were supposed to go through the equipment that we're to use for the competition."

"All right, I understand, but I was a bit preoccupied here," he said gesturing around him. "I'm sorry I didn't make it, but that doesn't mean it gives you the right to wake me up this way," Haymitch grumbled, not really giving a clear motive for his appalling behavior.

Now Katniss was furious. She was damned if she was going to accept such a poor apology after she had to practically hunt him down to make him do his job. "How dare you!" she shouted as she slowly stalked towards him. Her eyes crackled with intensity.

"You know how important this competition is for all of us. You know how much we're putting out there to be the best. Or is it that you really don't care if we are to be ostracized by everyone for failing to at least bring the bronze?" She kept advancing towards him until she backed him up against the armchair and he plopped down abruptly while she jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "Do you have any idea how much in danger my family is if I were to lose this competition? Neither Delly or Madge would be affected, but I'm barely hanging on by a thread. If it wasn't for this competition I could be imprisoned for selling illegal goods and my family would suffer. The fact that this stupid little contest is going on is the only thing that is keeping me and my family afloat. If I fail to bring in any medal, the government will not only imprison me, but my family as well since I didn't serve them any purpose. So the fact that you're lying here in your disastrous house drunk off your ass is not only wasting my time but you're also tightening the noose that's currently around my neck and I'll be damned if I let you drink yourself into a stupor. I'm not let you screw us over." She huffed with all the grace of overgrown bull.

Haymitch merely looked up at her in awe. He cleared his throat and stood up. "Listen sweetheart, I understand what you mean and I guess I should've taken this more seriously, but my drinking will never stop." Katniss made a loud indignant sound until Haymitch put his hand up to silence her. "But I can try to lessen it if you don't try to come between me and my liquor. I function a lot better with it. I will train you guys with all I can, but you have to promise to do everything I say. I don't want any complaining. I need you guys to trust me."

"And how do we know we can trust you?" Katniss countered.

"You don't. You're just going to have to let me be," Haymitch answered honestly.

Katniss shifted her weight and glowered at him, trying to assess any sort of deceit but he appeared to be sincere. "All right. You better be in that gym tomorrow early, and Haymitch? Clean your house. it reeks in here." She gathered her things and walked out leaving him no chance to respond.

The next few days Haymitch stayed true to his word and showed up early every single day, and although he was drinking he made it a point to be sober enough to train them properly. He moved their training to the back of the school for longer distances. Apparently the targets were required to be seventy meters away during the competition.

Gale decided to visit Katniss one afternoon with his little sister Posy. He walked by in the middle of practice. "Hey Catnip!" He called as his little sister smiled radiantly up at her.

"Gale what are you doing here?" Katniss asked.

"Posy wanted to see the practice," He answered while Posy very nearly jumped out her skin excitedly.

"I'm sorry but I don't think Haymitch would be too happy to see you here," Katniss said anxiously when she looked over and noticed Haymitch's frown deepening.

Gale waved his hand around. "Just tell him to give you a couple minutes."

Katniss looked over at her friends, pleading for help with her eyes. Fortunately, Delly asked for a ten minute break that Haymitch unwillingly accepted.

"So how's everything going?" Gale asked.

"It's going alright," Katniss said, not wanting to tell her friend about her predicament with the dratted stabilizer for fear that he would cause a scene and possibly strain her and Haymitch's tentative truce.

"All of this looks amazing," Posy piped up. "Is there any way I could try to shoot a bow and arrow?"

Katniss looked over at Gale. He raised his eyebrows at Katniss, letting her know she should answer Posy's question. "I don't really think so Posy. I'm sorry." she answered as gently as she could.

The little girl deflated and uttered a small, "Ok."'

"Come on Catnip, why not?" Gale asked.

"Because the bows and arrows are much too big and heavy for her to handle and we don't have any small ones," Katniss replied.

"Come on at least indulge her a little," Gale tried to convince.

"Gale, this is not a carnival event. I am training so that I can win. We're not here to entertain you," Katniss replied.

Gale swallowed his last attempt to persuade her and simply lifted his sister up in his arms and stalked off, too angry to even say goodbye.

It had taken days before Katniss and Gale talked again.

The days passed and the girls soldiered on undeterred by the scorching heat, having resolved to bring colder water and bigger bottles. Katniss had spoken to Delly and Madge. Both girls didn't seem too enthusiastic with the deal with Haymitch, but agreed nonetheless. However, it was proving to be a rather difficult task since the training hours had gotten longer for all participants in every sport.

Haymitch approved of most of their equipment other than their bows and arrows. He relayed that he didn't want to take any chance at being disqualified. Despite Katniss contesting his disapproval there was no arguing with him, and so with all the heaviness in her heart she abandoned her favorite bow made by her father. Instead she was given a dark chocolate recurve bow made out of mahogany. It looked almost too expensive for her to carry around, but Haymitch insisted. She was allowed to keep her worn leather chest and arm guards and tip glove. The arrows were made of mahogany as well with red and orange feather fletchings making them look like they were on fire every time she let one fly. The troubling thing about Haymitch's rules was that Katniss was not used to the stupid stabilizer that not only made her miss her mark but highly frustrated Haymitch.

"God damn it Katniss! You have to aim," Haymitch howled for the tenth time that day. Katniss looked over at Delly as she placed her blue nock against her bowstring. Delly looked back with sympathy and grimaced at Haymitch's words. She let her her arrow fly. The arrow with blue and violet fletching swiftly soaring through the air hitting its mark.

Katniss sighed, removing and dropping the blasted stabilizer carelessly with irritation. It bounced against the ground as Haymitch walked over to reprimand her. "Katniss, I need you to concentrate and make this, whatever this is, work. You need to score at least a six if you want to win anything. Right now your twos and fours are not helping you or the rest of the team," he said as he gestured to the stabilizer laying on the ground pitifully.

Peeta rounded the corner, noticing a very miffed Katniss blushing crimson as her coach yelled at her. Peeta raised his eyebrows as he dropped his bag on the ground and leaned against the wall while crossing his arms and legs. He had made it a habit to stop by their practice whenever he could. He made it a point to bring a cookie or two for the girls. Both Delly and Madge were ever so grateful for the sweets. However Katniss, although thankful was not the type to love the sugary confections and so she saved it for her sister. It made her smile every time Prim seemed to brighten with every bite she had. It had become the highlight of their day and it was all thanks to Peeta.

"All right, training is over. and I need you all to get out of here. I have a raging headache," Haymitch announced, pinching the bridge of his nose and waving the girls away carelessly. The girls removed their equipment and put it away. Delly decided to take a break and look after their stuff while Madge and Katniss wheeled the targets into the gym to be locked up in a large locker room. Katniss wiped her sweaty palms against her cargo pants and adjusted her shirt. Wisps of hair obscured her vision when the wind picked up. Thankfully her braid had stayed intact.

"God, I hate it when my mom makes me wear these stupid shirts. It's hot as blazes out here and she's more worried about my skin getting tan rather than the possibility of getting dehydrated," Madge sullenly exclaimed. Katniss looked at her bucket hat and pants lamenting her predicament. Although Madge's mother wasn't usually present during any social gathering, she was explicitly aware of the expectations in society. Madge explained that her mother was a sickly woman and therefore was rarely seen. Unfortunately, being light skinned and blue eyed was quite a privilege that her mother was sure to maintain for Madge's good.

Katniss knew that her olive skin and gray eyes were not coveted beauty features, but she was glad that she resembled her father. Prim and her mother however never fit in the Seam, Their sky blue eyes and rosy complexions were a rarity. It made them stick out like a sore thumb. Delly was another one of the privileged bunch that resided in twelve with her clear blue eyes and sunny blond hair, but unlike Madge she didn't care what anyone had to say about her skin tone. She decided that being pasty white had its disadvantages. She chose to wear shorts and short sleeve shirts. "To hell with skin lightness. I'd rather be cool than toasting myself in those clothes," she said pointing to Madge's outfit.

Madge squeaked indignantly but Delly continued. "I'm sorry Madge, but I couldn't care less for being a beacon of whiteness. I'd rather stay cool. Besides, it's not like we don't have things to keep us from getting hurt." She shrugged while Madge agreed with a tilt of her head.

She had been sitting with the girls during a rare fifteen minute break when Delly announced she had a crush on Gale Hawthorne. Katniss looked at her, caught completely off guard. "Well he's very handsome," Delly defended. "He has that bad boy vibe." Katniss snorted.

"He's been here twice before already and I like him. He's tall and and he's usually very nice to me," Delly explained.

Katniss remembered well the second time he'd been present. Thankfully he came alone and after practice. He'd noticed Peeta walking out of the school with his singlet on. Katniss had waved to him cheerfully.

"You know him?" Gale asked.

"Yeah," Katniss replied.

"They're all a bunch of brainless idiots, no?" he remarked

Katniss frowned. "No they're not. He's very nice to everyone and he's smart," she defended.

Gale sighed. "How do you even know him?"

"I sell my squirrels to his dad. Why are you so interested in him?" She questioned.

"I'm not. I just don't see how you can mix with his sort," he remarked off offhandedly.

"If I didn't know any better Gale, I'd say you were jealous, but It can't be, because we're nothing more than friends, right?" Katniss asked

Gale looked down at the ground. "Yeah Catnip. We're just friends," he answered dejectedly.

Katniss nodded, but didn't really feel like talking much to him. It weirded her out to think that Gale might be jealous of any boy she met. It felt unnatural.

She called her friends over and introduced them to him, hoping to be freed of his focal point. Thankfully both girls engaged him in animated conversation.

Katniss looked up to see how much further they had to push the targets into the entrance and noticed Peeta leaning on the wall calmly. His bag sat next to him. He was still wearing his singlet. "Hey Katniss, Madge," he said with a cheerful smile and nod to each girl as he pushed himself off the wall. "Do you need help?" he offered readily. Madge graciously accepted and Peeta followed them inside as the girls led the way.

Madge uttered her discontent with the way Haymitch had chastised Katniss that afternoon. "I mean, I get you have to learn to use the stupid thing, but it's still no way to go about it," Madge stated. Katniss simply listened quietly, agreeing. Once the equipment had been put away and the girls had said their goodbyes, Katniss started to walk home.

Peeta walked slowly next to her. A fact that highly mystified her since it would have made more sense for him to go with Madge and Delly, but yet, here he was. "So I know we haven't really gotten a chance to talk, but I thought maybe we could get to know each other as friends," he said.

"Aren't we already friends?" Katniss asked.

"No. We're acquaintances, but I would like to get to know you better," Peeta expressed, his ears turning red.

"Oh well, I'm not really very good at making friends," Katniss replied.

"Well, for starters, it does help when you know the person," Peeta offered.

Katniss wondered whether Delly and Madge were her friends in spite of the competition. They didn't really know much about her except what they would be privy to during practice. She never really spoke to anyone about her personal life. Gale was the only one to know more about her and that was only because they hunted and depended on each other.

Peeta looked over at her. " I don't really know much about you except that you're stubborn and good with a bow."

"Well that about sums me up," Katniss replied with a smirk.

"No, there's more. You just don't want to tell me," he countered. "That's alright though. There's no pressure."

Katniss kept on walking. "How do you make friends?" she wondered aloud.

"Well we could start by telling each other stuff," Peeta offered.

"Stuff? What kind of stuff?" she asked.

"You know. Stuff. The deep stuff," Peeta answered.

Katniss raised her eyebrows. "The deep stuff. Uh oh, like what?"

"Well how about telling me what your favorite color is?" he asked.

"Well that's just too personal," Katniss joked.

Peeta chuckled. "No, really."

She walked slowly down the road in silence for a few seconds. "Green," she answered. "What's yours?"

"Orange," Peeta replied.

Katniss thought of the garish color and wrinkled her nose in distaste. Peeta smiled and shook his head. "I know what you're thinking, but it's not the usual orange. I mean more like a sunset kind of orange."

Katniss thought of the soft color that livened the late afternoon sky and smiled, understanding perfectly what he meant.

"So I heard what Madge was saying about your coach and I hope I'm not overstepping, but bounds but what happened? I saw him yelling at you," Peeta asked

Katniss didn't know why, but she felt so comfortable around him that she told him the whole story. He paused for a moment taking in the new information thoughtfully. "Well is it mandatory that you use the stabilizer?" he asked.

Katniss stopped in her tracks and wondered why she hadn't thought to ask before. "I don't know," she said.

"Well if you have to use it then you're just going to have to grit your teeth and learn as quickly as possible. If not, then tell your coach that it would better to do it your way," Peeta answered, being the only person to give Katniss any form of solution to her problem. She had told Gale the same story and the only thing he said was to form a strike and flat out refuse to use it. Unfortunately, that wouldn't have sat well with Haymitch. It would have simply caused a bigger rift between them making the entire situation worse than it already was.

"Thank you. I think I'll try that tomorrow," Katniss replied honestly.

Peeta smiled. "By the way, why didn't you go with Delly and Madge. You would've been home by now," Katniss admonished.

"I'm in no hurry to get home and this is a nice walk and at least it's nice out this afternonn," Peeta replied as a light breeze blew around them.

They walked in comfortable silence for about five minutes, until Peeta suggested they play twenty questions, so they started asking one another simple questions the rest of the way.

The next day, Katniss walked over to Haymitch after having helped the other two girls set up the targets. "I don't want to use the stupid stabilizer." She said.

Haymitch raised an eyebrow. "Really sweetheart, and why's that?" he asked.

"Because I hate it and I shoot better without it. So, unless it's mandatory, please just let me use the bow," Katniss pleaded.

"All right. On one condition. You have to prove to me that you'll shoot better without it," Haymitch challenged.

Katniss nodded and swiftly walked away to show him. She placed her arrow on the bowstring pulling it back taut and let the arrow fly. It soared and landed on the red ring effectively giving her eight points.

Haymitch scoffed. "That's only one shot it could've been a fluke," he said. So Katniss walked over to the next three targets, taking the proper positions and making her point as the first two arrows lodged themselves into the red rings. The final arrow embedded itself into the small golden circle in the middle of the target. Madge and Delly's jaws were wide open, clearly impressed. Even Haymitch's eyebrows were raised when he saw what Katniss was capable of. Katniss looked pointedly at him in question and Haymitch simply nodded his head with permission.

The weeks had passed and Peeta made it a habit to walk Katniss home, making their teammates question whether they were, in fact, dating. Both parties simply denied it and carried on with what had become a ritual. They talked about everything and anything. Katniss learned that Peeta was quite an artist after finding him shading a sketch on a pad of paper and blowing on it carefully. He showed it to her after she begged to see it. The Katniss flower that was was displayed on the pad was quite literally a masterpiece. It almost looked real had it not been for the lack or color.

One particular afternoon while he was waiting for her practice to come to an end Delly had gone on about how wonderful his drawings and paintings were, making Katniss feel a little jealous that Delly knew something she didn't. She wished she had met Peeta sooner. Perhaps she would've learned all these things before her friend but who could fault the girl for knowing him so well? They were childhood friends after all.

She's learned that he already knew about her singing. He told her he'd heard her at the school assembly and a few times when she walked home with her sister after school.

"You have a very beautiful voice, by the way," he complimented timidly. Katniss thanked him and he went on to tell her about the many times he had heard her father sing. "My father said that's why your mother married your father."

Katniss frowned and tilted her head in question. "Well, my dad told me that he'd been in love with your mother for many years." Katniss raised her eyebrows. Peeta chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I was surprised myself, but he said that she had only to hear your father sing and she promptly left everything behind to marry him. I guess I understand. Dad always said that the birds would stop to listen every time he hummed a tune and the same thing happens with you. Every time you sing, the birds stop to listen."

Katniss looked down at the ground grinning to herself. Her cheeks flushed with color. "Thank you. I also know something about you," she said.

"Oh?" Peeta asked.

"Yeah. You can pretty much fling twice your weight in flour over your head. I saw you do it when I was twelve. I was on my way to sell some goods. I noticed your mother yelling at your brothers and that's when I saw you fling almost a hundred and fifty pound bag of flour over your head all by yourself. You made it look so easy too. I thought you would've gone into the weight lifting part of the competition, but instead you joined the wrestling team. Why didn't you? " she pondered.

"Why did't I what?" Peeta asked.

"Go into weight lifting," She continued.

"I like my team. I've known them for years and It was something that I didn't have to attribute to my line of work. I have to concentrate and think about what kind of moves I have to come up with to stop my opponent instead of just lifting things. Besides, brains are more important than brawn. I don't like to use my strength unless I have to," Peeta explained.

Katniss nodded taking in his ideas. "I see. Well, you do it very well," she complimented.

Weeks passed and the more time Katniss spent with Peeta the more she respected and admired him. One afternoon after Madge took off with her boyfriend as soon as practice was over Delly caught Katniss looking at Peeta. "Hey, you like him?" she asked looking pointedly at him.

Katniss' eyes widened at having been caught and immediately turned red. "N-no!" she denied exuberantly while her heart fluttered like the wings of a butterfly and her stomach did somersaults.

"Liar. You do like him. Look at you blushing," Delly said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Katniss rolled her eyes, willing her cheeks to stop burning. "Listen, you should just tell him," Delly said.

"What? No! I couldn't," Katniss replied mildly horrified at the prospect. She'd never even had a boyfriend before.

"Ah hah! You do like him! I knew it," Delly said triumphantly pumping her arm.

"I admire and respect him," Katniss stated.

Delly rolled her eyes. "God, Katniss could you be any less romantic?" she asked.

"What?" Katniss asked.

"You sound as if you were talking about the mayor, not a cute boy" Delly drawled.

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Well it's the truth!" she defended.

"Ugh fine, but just so you know, I think he likes you too," she offered. Katniss, of course, didn't believe a word she said.

"By the way, he's coming over." Delly said, smiling.

As soon as Peeta was in front of them Delly made some ridiculous excuse about helping a friend feed her chickens and walked away waving goodbye.

"What was that all about?" Peeta asked confused at Delly's sudden departure.

Katniss shrugged as they set off for their usual walk to her home.

You didn't say anything to Peeta, did you?" Katniss asked Delly the next day before practice.

"Why? You want me to?" Delly asked.

"No! I was just curious," Katniss replied. 

"Why didn't you say anything?" Katniss wondered.

"I don't know. I guess I just think that you'll figure it out together sooner or later," Delly said.

"Well, how come you said something when it came to Madge?" Katniss asked.

"She's bolder than you despite her mother's attempts to snuff it out. She wouldn't have minded. She would've laughed it off if Michael hadn't asked her out and moved on. You, on the other hand, would mind. Look, I might not know much about you, but I do know that you like your privacy. So I didn't want to make you angry. Especially not after I saw how you could be when you argue with Haymitch," Delly clarified.

Katniss thought about it and decided that Delly was right. She would definitely have minded if she had revealed anything to Peeta. She thanked Delly and picked up her bow.

The competition drew closer and Katniss' nerves got worse. She had so much riding on these stupid Olympics that she had managed to drive herself into a proper frenzy. Especially after the camera crews and reporters started showing up and making a fuss. It drove Katniss positively crazy. She hated being in front of the cameras. She never knew what to do or how to answer questions without sounding so hostile. Her teammates on the other hand absolutely reveled in the daily attentions and were the epitome of grace and sweetness, unlike herself. Compliments usually made Katniss feel awkward and she didn't know how to acknowledge them without sounding stupid.

Effie was very upset that she was unable to improve Katniss' countenance beyond her looks. Another thing that Katniss detested was the sheer amount of time that was wasted on making her look presentable for the cameras. At one point she was forced to wear makeup in the sweltering heat only for the cameras to film the team while practicing. It made her feel dirty with all the layers of makeup that were caked on her face. She had to refrain from running her hand or arm on it to wipe the greasy feeling off. She knew Effie wouldn't have appreciated all the hard work being ruined.

They all knew that Effie was only there for appearance purposes, and Katniss was well aware that she was trying her best with all three girls, but she hated it. It wasn't until Haymitch complained about progress slowing down and the girls paying no attention, that Effie finally backed off a bit. Katniss had never been so happy to know Haymitch. She wanted to hug the man for making it impossible for camera's to be present during practice. Thankfully Peeta assured her that she didn't need any makeup. She looked beautiful without it according to him. When he said this her heart did funny things she didn't understand.

The closer the time came to compete the more nervous Katniss became. Peeta noticed her silence when he walked Katniss home one sunny afternoon. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

Katniss looked at the ground while she walked. "Nothing," she said shaking her head. She was fiddling with her fingers and refused to look at him.

Peeta grabbed her by the shoulders, stopping them. "What's wrong?" He asked as he caught her chin gently in his hand and drew it up, forcing Katniss to look at him.

Katniss sighed. "I'm scared," she whispered.

"Scared of what?" Peeta asked again.

"What if I lose? What If I fail to bring home a medal? I would essentially be screwing my family over. I could be imprisoned because everyone knows that I hunt and that's illegal. My family would starve to death if I'm not there for them. My mother is barely functioning. She's improved some, but it's just not enough and I can't risk my sister dealing with it alone. She couldn't handle it. I-" She felt hot tears prickle behind her eyes and a knot formed in her throat. She tried to will the tears to stay put, but it was impossible. "I just-"

Peeta grabbed her by the waist and kissed her. Katniss looked at him briefly, surprised, until she fluttered her eyes closed and circled her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Peeta ran his tongue around the seam of her lips and Katniss opened her mouth, allowing him entrance to explore, and explore he did. He brought his hand up to gently caress her face, wiping away the tear that had run down. He ran his fingers down the supple skin of her cheeks and jaw while running his tongue along her teeth. He tilted his head slightly, giving them both access to have a scorching dance of tongues. Katniss moaned and opened her eyes in surprise. She had never experienced such euphoria and fear. It made her question her decisions, but boy did he know how to kiss. Her legs felt like jelly and she was well on her way to clinging to him like an idiot when he abruptly ended the kiss and turned away from her.

"Peeta?" she whispered as she breathed hard, trying to keep her racing heart from galloping straight out of her chest.

He turned around swiftly. "I'm sorry, Katniss. I really am. I just wanted to help you forget your problems, if only for moment." He was breathing hard and he looked so remorseful that she found it endearing. He picked up his bag and started to walk away without another word until Katniss called him back. He turned to look at her once again.

"I liked it," she said as she felt heat rise to her face.

Peeta looked at her hopefully. "You did?"

Katniss nodded. "To be honest, I've wanted you to do that a long time ago." She scratched the back of her neck nervously.

"Really?" he asked, smiling brightly.

Katniss laughed lightly. "Yeah. I actually really like you," She finally said.

Peeta walked back briskly and took her in his arms again. This time he looked at her almost as if trying to memorize every one of her features and pushed a wisp of hair out of her face. He gently tucked it back behind her ear. He kissed her nose and then gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. "I like you too. I always have. I just didn't know how to tell you. I was trying to work my way up to ask you out, but I didn't know where to begin, so I thought by accompanying you home, that I could get to know you better and vice versa. It took quite a lot of pep talks in front of the mirror before I could gather the courage just to do that."

Katniss smiled and hugged him. " Well I'm glad you did. I just wish I'd noticed sooner."

" Well it doesn't matter, we're here now, right?" he asked, and Katniss nodded happily. "So, what does this make us?" Peeta asked when she pulled back to look at him.

"What do you want it to make us?" Katniss countered, unsure what answer he wanted.

"Well I hope this means you're my girlfriend, but only if it's ok with you," he stated carefully.

Katniss took in a deep breath. "Yeah, that sound good to me."

Peeta hugged her fiercely and picked her up with one arm, making Katniss squeal with glee. He put her down. "I want to tell everyone, but I know that's not a good idea right now. I don't want people to know you or me as just a couple. I want you to shine in the spotlight. You're an incredible archer. You have nothing to worry about because I've seen you practice and you'll do perfectly fine. I know it," Peeta said pacifying Katniss' fears for the time being.

"I hope it's ok that we wait to tell anyone about us." Katniss nodded silently. "Good, but after the Olympics are over I will tell everyone. My neighbors, my neighbor's neighbor. Their family members. Everyone, and even if I don't win any medal I'll still have 're already better than a medal anyway. I feel like this time right now is my golden moment," he said excitedly as Katniss laughed and shook her head.

Then she remembered his mother. "Won't your mother be upset that you're dating a Seam girl? Besides I think she especially hates me. Although I don't know why."

Peeta sighed. "She knows about my dad's feelings for your mom, and I think that makes her insecure, but you don't have to worry about any of it. I'll deal with her."

Katniss frowned. "But what if she kicks you out of the house?"

"I don't think she will, because she still needs me around to help her in the bakery, but if she does, then it'll be fine by me. I've been wanting an excuse to leave. My brothers are well on their way out and the only reason I've dealt with her craziness is because I feel bad that she'll be left all alone. My father and her barely acknowledge each other anymore. Their relationship is pretty much over and despite her cruelty, I don't want her to be alone. She is still my mother. if she comes between us then I will have no choice but to leave. I won't allow her to meddle with my future," Peeta said while looking at Katniss' gray eyes.

Katniss didn't know what to say, but the sheer amount of sincerity and protection she felt was overwhelming. It had been so long since she felt that way even the notion was almost foreign to her. She was usually the one doing the protecting. She wrapped her arms around Peeta's torso and pulled him into a tight hug as answer to her speechlessness. Peeta hugged her back and after some time they laced their fingers and continued the trek back home as the sun began to set and another day would bring new hope for them.


End file.
